A personal, guided tour to the best scoops and stories every day in The Wall Street Journal, from Editor in Chief Gerard Baker.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for U.S. attorney general, forcefully rejected accusations that he has racist views and departed from several of Mr. Trump’s campaign stances during a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Mr. Sessions, a Republican from Alabama, said he doesn’t support a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., as Mr. Trump once proposed, and noted that the use of waterboarding, which Mr. Trump has also advocated, is illegal under current law. Meanwhile,...